WHAT YOU’LL DO TO PAINT A PINEWOOD DERBY CAR

Step 1: Begin by wrapping sandpaper around a block of wood 1 inch by 3 inches. Without a block of wood for support, sandpaper can leave dips and gullies in the Pinewood Derby car’s body.

Round the corners of the pinewood block with coarse sandpaper. Change to medium-grit paper for smoothing rough edges. Finish with fine sandpaper to remove any sanding marks.

Step 2: Just painting the pinewood won’t hide the wood’s grain. Apply two coats of liquid sanding sealer. Let the sealer dry overnight before sanding it lightly with fine-grit paper.

If the grain still shows, apply two more coats of sealer. Let it dry overnight and sand again. Repeat the process until the grain disappears.

Step 3: Choose a color for your Pinewood Derby car. Then apply two to three coats of enamel paint to the car’s body. Spraying the model with paint from an aerosol can is easier than using a brush.

If you use a brush, dip only the lower third of the brush into the paint. Use single, smooth strokes instead of dabbing the paint on the car. Blend the strokes so they can’t be seen.

Step 4: Place a race number on the Pinewood Derby car. Seal and protect it by spraying the entire car with clear gloss paint. Some clear paints might make the numbers curl. To make sure yours works, test it on a decal or number stuck to scrap plastic before spraying your car.

Step 5: Let the clear paint dry for at least a week. Then cover the Pinewood Derby car with floor wax paste and polish to a high gloss. The wax will protect the car and help give your racer the look of shining steel.

JUST DO YOUR BEST

This project requires help from an adult and lots of time and patience.

Instead, you can always just paint your Pinewood Derby car with one layer of paint from your local hobby store. It takes only a few minutes, and it still looks great.

Submit a Photo of Your Project

Your first name

Tell us about your project

Photo upload

Important Note: Please only upload photos of your project. Because of privacy rules, we can't post any photos that show people's faces. Always ask for your parent's permission before uploading anything to a website.

41 Comments on How to Paint a Pinewood Derby Car to Give It a Glossy Finish

Several coats of Krylon brand spray paint (in a gloss finish) over primer will give the same results (in the article) without the clear coat or the wax. Krylon is also good because it dries to the touch in about ten minutes, and can be handled safely in about an hour. This allows procrastinators (like me) to apply 2-3 coats of paint in one day, with professional-looking results!

I would also like to add that some light sanding with a fine to very fine grit sandpaper in between coats of primer and between coats of paint will create a very smooth looking finish to your paint job!

Guys, using modeling paint in a spray can over a primer and a couple coats of gloss do this without the waxing. In fact, that’s what I did from the 80’s to the 00’s using a hint from boys life about making a spray box, taking a block and putting nails level in it to set the car on so the paint covers the entire car and painting then waiting a few days in between each coat of primer, paint, and gloss.

From my experience, the paint does not add THAT much in weight. However, I ensured my car was about 4.5 oz before I painted it. I placed all the pieces of the car with the weight on a scale and checked it. This will allow for the weight of the wood glue after cuts for weights and for the paint. My car was exactly 5 oz, my son did kind of the same thing and ended up at 4.8 oz.

Good point about sanding with the grain. I think that a lot of people would assume that people already know this, but depending on how much woodworking someone has had, they might not. I learned it myself when I was 11 in Orioles. But no one ever told my husband. If I hadn’t known then our boys wouldn’t have known. It’s like cutting meat “across the grain” to make more tender cuts of meat. It seems obvious, but unless you’ve been told then you don’t know it.